One of the things that makes America a great place is that we look after our citizens, even when they can no longer work. The Social Security retirement system is probably the most well-known social program for supporting people who aged to the point that they can no longer earn a living, but that isn’t the only program offered by the government.
What Support Programs Does The US Offer?
The Social Security Administration (SSA) also provides assistance to people who have suffered disabling injuries or diseases. The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income social aid programs help people with disabilities make ends meet, but these programs are not easy to get into.
Strict security measures and rigorous definitions must be met in order to claim disability benefits. First you must have worked for five of the last ten years, and you must have earned the required credits for your age group in that amount of time, then you must have also paid FICA taxes while receiving a certain amount of income each year. If you meet those requirements, and you have suffered a disabling incident, then you can apply for SSDI or SSI, but you still have to meet SSA definitions of disability.
What Does The Social Security Administration Consider A Disability?
In order to claim benefits, you must be unable to work for at least one year or be expected to be unable to work for at least a year. This inability to work must be caused by a physical and/or mental impairment that will be weighed against your education, past work experience, salary and age. These conditions can include: blindness, deafness, HIV, cancer, mental illnesses, and other medical conditions that can hamper your ability to work eight hours a day, five days a week.
The SSA also keeps a list of other illnesses that it may consider disabling conditions, and that list is always changing. New hematological disorders—also known as blood disorders—and certain cancers were just recently added to this list, so you shouldn’t give up on benefits if your condition isn’t included on the current listing. Consult an experienced disability attorney to find out the best way to handle your disability application, especially if you have a rare disease that the SSA doesn’t often encounter.
A message brought to you by the Tulsa disability attorneys at Troutman & Troutman—Let our family help your family get the benefits they need.
